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The Haunted Shipwreck Shaina Tranquilino September 25, 2024

The ocean was still that morning, a glassy expanse stretching into the horizon, as divers Jon and Tasheena prepared their descent. They had heard the rumours, of course—stories whispered in the shadowy corners of taverns near the docks about The Carina, an early 19th-century cargo ship that vanished without a trace nearly two hundred years ago. According to legend, it was perfectly preserved at the ocean’s floor, waiting for someone—or something—to bring its tragic past to light.

Jon tightened his oxygen tank and gave Tasheena a nod. "You ready for this?"

She adjusted her mask and grinned through the glass. "Born ready. Let’s find that ship."

The two divers plunged into the depths, the sunlight refracting through the clear water above them, growing dimmer the deeper they swam. After a half-hour descent, the shadow of something massive loomed ahead.

“There,” Jon signaled, pointing to the dark shape emerging in the murky water.

As they got closer, their headlamps cut through the gloom, illuminating the ghostly outline of The Carina. To their astonishment, the ship looked as if it had only recently been submerged. The wood was intact, ropes still hung loosely from the masts, and the sails—though worn—remained tethered. There was no sign of coral or barnacles overtaking the hull, as though time itself had forgotten the wreck.

Tasheena's voice crackled through the communication system. “This can’t be right. Ships like this shouldn’t be this well preserved. It’s… untouched.”

Jon was about to respond when something caught his eye—figures. For a fleeting moment, shapes moved just within the edge of his vision, like shadows passing through the dark corridors of the ship.

“Tasheena, did you see that?”

She turned her light toward the spot where he was staring. “See what?”

“I thought I saw… never mind.” He shook off the feeling. “Let’s head inside.”

They entered through a gaping hole in the ship’s hull, likely torn open when the vessel went down. Inside, the eerie preservation continued. Wooden crates were stacked along the walls, barrels remained lashed in place, and the captain’s quarters were still furnished as if awaiting the return of its master. Jon and Tasheena exchanged glances, both feeling the heavy silence that clung to the wreck.

Tasheena approached an old ledger on the captain’s desk. She flipped through the brittle pages, marvelling at the fact that they hadn’t disintegrated over time. But as she read, her face paled.

“Jon… you need to hear this.”

She began to read aloud from the final entry, dated August 12, 1821:

We are lost. Cursed, perhaps. The crew grows restless, their eyes haunted by something unseen. We hear voices in the night, calling from the deep. They speak in tongues we do not understand, yet we cannot help but listen. Men have begun to disappear, claimed by the sea or by something far worse. We make for land, but I fear we shall never reach it. Should anyone find this log, know that we were not meant to survive.

Jon felt a chill crawl up his spine. “So the ship’s crew went mad?”

Tasheena shook her head slowly. “I think they were haunted.”

As the words left her mouth, a sudden movement in the water behind her made Jon's heart stop. Slowly, he turned, raising his light.

At first, there was nothing—just the dark, still waters of the sunken ship. Then, from the shadowed corridor, a figure emerged. It wore the tattered remains of a sailor’s uniform, its face gaunt, hollow eyes staring blankly ahead. But it wasn’t alone. More figures drifted from the darkness, their forms translucent, their movements unnaturally slow, as if trapped in a dream. They floated toward the divers with an unsettling calm.

“Jon…” Tasheena whispered, her voice barely audible over the comms. “We need to get out of here.”

Jon backed toward the opening they had come through, his heart pounding in his chest. “Don’t look at them. Just move.”

The ghosts of The Carina drifted closer, their eyes following the divers. One reached out a hand, its fingers brushing past Jon's arm. A sharp coldness pierced his skin, and he flinched, kicking back with a surge of panic. He could feel the weight of the ship’s tragic past pressing in around him, the despair of the lost crew clawing at his mind.

Tasheena had already reached the opening, turning to signal Jon when her light caught something else—movement from within the captain’s quarters. A tall figure, wearing a long, sea-soaked coat, stood just inside the room. The captain. His face was drawn tight, skin pulled back over bone, eyes glowing faintly with an eerie blue light. He stepped forward, and though no words passed his lips, Tasheena felt his message reverberate through the water.

Stay. Join us.

“No!” she shouted, swimming toward Jon.

He reached for her, their hands just brushing as something cold and invisible tugged at her legs. Tasheena gasped, thrashing, trying to pull free, but the spectral grip tightened. Jon grabbed her arm with both hands and kicked furiously, propelling them both toward the surface.

The ghostly crew followed, their hollow eyes staring after the divers with an ancient sorrow. But they did not leave the ship. They could not.

As the surface broke above them, Jon and Tasheena gasped for air, tearing off their masks as they climbed back onto their boat. For several minutes, neither spoke, their eyes locked on the still water below.

Finally, Tasheena broke the silence. “They wanted us to stay. To join them.”

Jon nodded, his face pale. “We were lucky to get out.”

They both knew that the crew of The Carina hadn’t been so fortunate. Bound to their ship, they would drift forever in that watery grave, waiting for the next unwary souls to stumble upon their cursed wreck.

As the boat sped back toward the safety of the shore, Jon glanced over his shoulder at the calm sea behind them. Though the sun shone brightly, casting shimmering light across the water, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching from below—waiting, patient as the tide.